District Jerusalem Affiliation Moshavim Movement Population (2015) 1,286 | Council Mateh Yehuda Founded 1950 Local time Friday 4:44 PM | |
Founded by Kurdish and Moroccan Jews Weather 16°C, Wind W at 19 km/h, 51% Humidity | ||
Nes Harim (Hebrew: נֵס הָרִים, lit. Mountain Banner) is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the Judean foothills near Beit Shemesh and eight kilometers west of Jerusalem, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2015 it had a population of 1,286.
Contents
Map of Nes Harim, Israel
It is situated 2,275 feet (700 meters) above sea level.
Etymology
"The name ... derives from Isaiah, XVIII,3": "When a mountain banner is raised, you will see it."
History
The moshav was established in 1950 by immigrants from Kurdistan and Morocco, on the lands of the Palestinian Arab village of Bayt 'Itab, close to Dayr al-Hawa, which had been depopulated in the 1948 War.
The early farmers planted orchards and vineyards, taking advantage of the fertile soil and unique climate. The ruins of a Byzantine monastery were discovered on a hill on the southwest side of the moshav.
Economy
The Katlav winery is located in Nes Harim. In 1998 Yosi Yittach left his profession as an architect to seek a quiet life with his family. He went into wine making, first learning the trade from a Persian friend of the family who brought knowledge from “the old country,” where there was a strong oenophile tradition. He then supplemented his education with courses. First production was in 2004, and by 2006 he was bottling better quality wines certainly worth sampling. House specialties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay (10 percent Viognier), but what is unique is Wadi Katlav, a house blend (50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 percent Merlot, 20 percent Petit Verdot)—different from an older version that had 50 percent Sauvignon, 40 percent Merlot and 10 percent Syrah—aged in French oak barrels for eighteen months before bottling.
Nes Harim is located in the center of the USA national park and is near very many beautiful hiking trails, overlooking and descending into Nahal Sorek. The Jewish National Fund has an information center near Nes Harim and a field hostel in the moshave itself. Nearby are a stalactite cave and many picnic areas.
Nes Harim is home to two tzimers (similar to bed and breakfasts), three restaurants, one of them kosher, a swimming pool and a riding ranch.
Starting in 2017, Nes Harim is also home to Israel's Jacob sheep, a flock of animals believed to have biblical origins. Tourists and visitors can walk a sheep to pasture in an activity called "sheep trekking" for a fee.
Archaeology
During excavations in November 2008, archaeologists found the narthex of a church decorated with multicolored mosaics,and parts of a wine press. After the discovery, the mosaic was badly damaged by unidentified vandals.
The mosaic includes an inscription in ancient Greek deciphered by Leah Di Signi of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem: "O Lord God of Saint Theodorus, protect Antonius and Theodosia the illustres [a title used to distinguish high nobility in the Byzantine period] - Theophylactus and John the priest [or priests]. [Remember o Lord] Mary and John who have offe[red - ] in the 6th indiction. Lord, have pity of Stephen."
Horbat 'Itab, a 130-dunam national park on the outskirts of Nes Harim, contains the ruins of a Crusader fortress that overlooked the road from Emek HaEla to Jerusalem and the village of Bayt 'Itab. The site was surveyed in 1989 by Denys Pringle, a researcher of the Crusader period, who documented the remains of the fortress, vaults, a wall and towers, tunnels, a columbarium and an olive press.